


Really?

by Metalera_Lair



Series: The Fearless Four [1]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Big Brothers, Brothers, Family, Human Michelangelo (TMNT), Human Raphael, Hurt Michelangelo (TMNT), Little Brothers, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Near Death Experiences, Protective Raphael (TMNT)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:55:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27532609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metalera_Lair/pseuds/Metalera_Lair
Summary: A roaring explosion amid a tense battle with the Foot Clan sends Raphael's heart speeding, as he rushes to the rescue. This is supposed to be a part of my TMNT Human AU, however, the story can be viewed as a separate piece and your perception of boys appearance will not affect the overall plot.
Series: The Fearless Four [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2012380
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	Really?

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT characters nor TMNT universe. Le sigh.

“Mikey, watch out..!”

The youngest brother quickly looked around, his eyes widening in terror. He had been so involved with fighting the bunch of Foot ninjas that he failed to notice how they lured him dangerously close to the explosives. The fire came from the inside of the building and was steadily making its way to the fuel tanks with angry flames eating away the darkness of the surrounding night. Michelangelo knocked down a couple of ninjas standing in his way, as he hasted farther away from the warehouse and towards the docks. He can make, he _will_ make it, he’s almost there…

The explosion came loud and hard. The roaring blast was strong enough to reach rushing Michelangelo and push him down into the dark water.

A painful scream immediately followed by an intensely loud splash made Raphael’s skin crawl.

“MIKEY!”

His sibling was nowhere to be seen. Only the slowly vanishing rings on the water’s calm surface remained to tell the tale of his unconscious brother being gladly welcomed into the fluid kingdom.

“NO!”

Raph’s rescue attempt was halted by several ninjas, arriving to their defeated comrades’ aid. Fuelled by fury and terror, Raphael bellowed and scattered his foes stormily with a pair of his loyal sais. Once the ninjas fell down, they never got up again; and then at last the coast was clear. Swiftly shoving his weapons behind the belt and squeezing an activated glow stick between his teeth, Raph ran to the edge and dove.

As time passed, the ripples slowly smoothened out across water surface, as its mischievous body merged with the starred sky into a single, vast entity.

A loud splash erupted from the darkness of the canal, followed by a greedy gasp for reviving air and a cautious thump of a body being placed onto the dock. Raphael hastily climbed up to the wooden surface and dropped onto his knees by his brother’s side. Still breathing heavily, Raph hurried with Mikey’s assessment, using the dim light of a glow stick to his aid.

Airways: all cleared.

Breathing: none.

Raphael gulped.

Pulse? The next ten seconds had seemed to take a decade to pass, yet they did reward sai-weilder with hint of a pulse. Repressing the trembles in his hands, Raphael pinched Michelangelo’s nose, tilted his chin up and continued with the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Not seeing any notable changes in his brother’s pulse after the first set, Raphael moved onto the chest compressions, counting under his breath. Ten. Twenty-five. Thirty… Mikey remained motionless.

“Come on, lil’ bro, come on!” Raph whispered in frustration. “You can make it, I know it! You’re strong enough… COME ON!”

Mike’s head jerked up abruptly, as he choked and spat out some water. Raphael breathed out a sigh of relief, trying to suppress the shaking in his own body. Carefully, he supported Mikey’s head, waiting for him to cough out the remaining water and all the while casting him an anxious look. Although, the danger has passed, Raph still could feel his stomach twist in worry, as he found himself reaching out for Michelangelo’s hand and giving it a small and what he hoped to be a comforting squeeze.

“Raph..?” Mikey’s voice came out raspy, barely above the whisper. Teenager’s eyes cracked open, and the sai-wielder felt his heart clench at the sight of distress lingering there.

“Yeah..? You okay, bro?” Raph husked quietly, ignoring an annoying burning sensation at the back of his eyes.

“Raph… I’m not sure if we can do this… The whole clan… Back at the warehouse… That’s too many…”

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. If Leo says we can do this, we can. He believes in us and he believes in _you_ , and so do I. We can do this. Together. As always.” Raph paused to lick his charred lips and find his next words. “The fighting’s gonna be over soon. Everything will be back to normal then, you’ll see.” He finished with a reassuring smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. A light squeeze on his hand and the following question caught him off-guard.

“Really?”

Mikey’s pleading voice traced with so much overwhelming hope, it made Raphael’s heart shrink. Sai-wielder locked his gaze with his younger brother, gulping down a thick lump forming in his throat. Michelangelo’s ever so bright big baby blue eyes were now beseeching for peace with all the despair in the world; his face was still pale from nearly drowning and there was a timid smile on his trembling purple lips. The battle marks gradually blossomed across his cheeks, as if they were boy’s usual freckles, and there was a nasty gash on his left forearm.

Steeling himself, Raph bent down closer and hold Mikey’s hand tighter.

“Yeah… Really…” He breathed out softly, pulling all the faith that remained in the furthest corners of his mind and dragging it into his words in a desperate attempt to believe in his own reassurance.

And if even for a moment, it seemed to work.

Mikey closed his eyes and smiled in content, suddenly clutching onto his sibling in a weak hug. Raphael winced and clenched his jaw, pulling his baby brother in and holding him tight. A hearty embrace went on for some time till the boys were reminded of their mission from the wind that enveloped them with the clings of metal and heated cries, resonating all the way from the warehouse-turned-battlefield.

“You ready? They’re getting their butts kicked, while we’re enjoying night swims here.” Immediate danger had passed, and Raph allowed himself a quip with a tiny smirk across his lips. He will need to deal with a heavy weight in his chest later.

Mikey nodded. Raphael stood up, offering his hand to Michelangelo.

“Together,” Mikey grinned, accepting his sibling’s help to stand.

“Always,” Raph responded firmly, pulling his baby brother up.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N. TMNT is a fandom that started it all for me, so it's only natural that I post the story about turtle brothers as my first entry. And yes, originally this piece was planned as a part of my multi-chapter TMNT Human AU, but I couldn't resist and posted this as a one-shot ahead of time. The AU does require some edits that I will work on shortly.
> 
> Also, the great WWW gives rather contradicting guidelines of rescuing and reviving a drowning person, hence, I tried to be as accurate as possible with described steps. That being said, this is a gentle reminder to do proper trainings and research before attempting any medical procedures, otherwise, let's leave it to the professionals! ;)
> 
> Do let me know what you think of the story in the comments and whether you would like to see the the full Human AU uploaded!
> 
> Hope you enjoy :3


End file.
